February 23, 2009

February 23??? How on earth did that happen? If I seem dumbfounded by the passage of time, it is because that is how I feel. Each moment is a treasure, and how swiftly they flee! How delicious to wear no watch, and look to the day clock rather than the hourly one. At the pool this morning, after the hard cooked eggs and before the swimming of laps, I had a chat with a woman who had never considered a boat as a place to live. “But what do you DO on a boat?” she asked. Easy, I replied. All the things that didn't get done over the past few years, like crossword puzzles, books, movies, card games, and of course , the ever present boat work—maintenance, repair, meals, cleaning.....etc etc etc. Each live aboard I discuss this with says the same. The pleasures of cruising are delicious and have their own set of questions—where are we going, how will we get there, and what will we do when we arrive? Staying in a port for a few weeks, as we've just done for the first time, presents a different pace with acclimation, exploration, making new friends and renewing old acquaintances, all high on the to-do list. This is, after all, retirement. A new person that we met this week is Barnacle Benny! Neat young man who motates about in his jeep wearing a wet suit—ready to dive under your boat at the drop of a loose propeller nut! Yes, it is back. Once again, Fred felt the 'clunk'. This time Benny put a wrench to it under water, and we'll hope it holds until we're back in Green Cove Springs and can find the cause of the repeated loosening. On Wednesday we spent an evening with Judy and Jonathan Jenkins of the Mirage Great Harbor DOUBLE JJ, and new friends Sandy, Chuck, Milton and Fran. Played Farkle (have you ever?), then went to dinner at the Docksides Restaurant, where Dan Sullivan played guitar and sang. Docksides is one of the vintage Keys spots—picnic tables outside by the water, good food and good things to drink. A neat thing that we have aboard is the Kindle--—Amazon.com's electronic library. With limited shelf space, it is great to be able to download and read a book, and then store another in the same paper back sized location—it can save both of our places in multiple books at the same time. Amazing. We downloaded and read the story of Henry M. Flagler this week. He, surprisingly to me, co-founded Standard Oil Co., with John D. Rockefeller. Apparently it was Flagler's idea to take the young company public to raise capital, and his +/-30,000 shares often paid dividends of $150,000 per MONTH. With no income tax. Flagler said that had it not been for the state of Florida, he'd have died a wealthy man. Everything is relative, I guess—his estate at the time of his death in 1913 was reproted to be over $100 million. Compared to Rockefeller, not very wealthy. In any case, he arrived in Jacksonville, Florida when it was barely a city, then bought and built railways so he could continue southward to and through St. Augustine, Daytona, Palm Beach and Miami, building luxury hotels, hospitals, and housing for thousands of workers. Actually creating cities as he moved along. Eventually, he built a railroad to Key West. His vision and talent for problem solving is legendary. Unfortunately, even with the opening of the Panama Canal, Key West did not become the booming seaport he'd envisioned, and the Labor Day Hurricane of 1935 destroyed enough of the railroad to render it no longer the Eighth Wonder of the World, but rather the future roadbed for Route 1. Low lying tracks were destroyed by water, but the winds were not able to upset the bridges his men built—one seven miles long. Can you imagine what it took to create such a thing then? Me either. On Saturday evening we went to the local Community Theater performance of a one man show telling the story of Flagler's life. Neat. We crept back into the 'basement' this week and finished installing the shelves that were begun in April, '08. Fred allows as how it's a lot easier to navigate that sloping cramped space without the 20 pounds he was carrying last spring. Did you notice his belt? (No suspenders!) Molly, Jeff and 12 year old JT spent Saturday with us. Quick visit as they were in FL for Jeff's mom's birthday. We lunched at the Hurricane Restaurant next door where we marveled at a +/- 30 foot long, 2 feet high LEGO display which accurately depicts South Beach storefronts with every type of Lego figure, vehicle and creation you could imagine! Weather-wise, it's been sunny most days, with 'spankin' breezes that cool things off very quickly. Our thermometer is in the sun all day, and has gotten to 80, but it is protected from the wind. Brrrr. No snow, though! Tonite we walked to a local pizza place, and then returned to SEA FOX where Milton and Fran provided delicious coffee and great folk music. We sang and laughed and thoroughly enjoyed! And now it is time to say good night. Be well, and keep in touch! Linda and Fred